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(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

W. s, JOHNSON. ELECTRIC VALVE FOR REGULATING TEMPERATURE, 8w.

Patented June 24, 1884.

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(No Model.) 2 Sh'eetsSheet 2.

W. S. JOHNSON.

ELEGTRIG VALVE FOR REGULATING TEMPERATURE, &c.

No. 301,059. PatentedJune 24, 1884.

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WARREN S. JOHNSON, OF MILWVAUKEE, VVISGONSIN, ASSIGNOR OF ONEHALF TO\VILLIAM PLANKINTON, OF SAME PLACE.

ELECTRIIC VALVE; FOR REGULATENG TEMPERATURE, &C.'

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 301,059, dated June24:, 1884:.

Application filed March 10, 1884.

To all whom it may concern-- Be it known that I, WARREN S. J OHNSON,

of Milwaukee,in the county of Milwaukee, and

in the State of Visconsin, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Electric Valves for Regulating Temperature, &c.; and Ido hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription thereof.

My invention relates to electric regulatingvalves, and will be fullydescribedhereinafter.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical section through center of myvalve. Fig. 2 shows theapplication of my valve to a steanrheatingapparatus. Fig. 3 is an enlarged vertical section of a device used tobreak the electric circuit, and Fig. 4. isa section of my electric valveon line a x of Fig. 1.

The object of my invention is to provide means whereby the valve of asteam, gas, or water passage may be operated automatically or from adistant point, as is often desirable. This result is obtained byconnectln g the mainvalve of said passage to the expansiblewall of achamber in which the steam, gas, or water electrically-controlled valve.

A is the main valve, serving to control the; passage of steam, gas, orwater through the The stem a of the valve is sup ported by the guides aa, suitably held in-l The valve A is kept nor-- mally open by means ofthe coiled spring a pipe a, a.

side the pipe a.

one end of which rests against the valve, while This part of the stem ais provided with a head, a, which fits loosely and is held in theexpansible chamber B through the passage 6, 5which leads from saidchamber to the chamis admitted either from the main passage or from anindependent source through a small,

the other end bears against the support at;

This latter is passed through the stufling- (No model.)

ber 0, containing the electric valve D. The chamber 0 is connected,through the pipe 6, either with the main pipe to or with any othersource wherefrom sufficient pressure can be obtained to expand thechamber B and operate the valve A. An enlargement, 6 is provided in thepassage 0, and opposite thelower part of said enlargement opens anotherpassage, e, which is formed in the front wall of the valvechan1ber C.The opposite end of said passage 0 opens in the said chamber, andslightly below it another passage, e, leads out of said chamber into therelief-pipe E. The valve D is pivoted with the armature D on the stem d,suitably fastened in the center of the front wall of chamber 0, and bymeans of the spring (2* is suitably maintained against the bearing-facesof said wall. The upper end of the valve D is perforated at d tocorrespond with the orifice of the passage 6, andin the bear- 7oing-face of the opposite end is formed a recess,

(1 of a length and width sufficient to cover the orifices of thepassages e and e. The valve is normally held closed by the spring d asshown in the full lines of the drawings. The armature D is then inproximity to the poles f f of the electro-magnet F. Whenever theelectric circuit is completed through the wires 9 g, the electro-magnetbeing excited, the armature D is attracted and the valve D swings aroundagainst its spring d so that the perforation d in its upper end isbrought just opposite the orifice of the passage awhile the recess d ofits lower end stands opposite the solid bearing-face of thechamber-wall, thus closing the passages c e" and opening communicationthrough passage 0 between the expansible chamber B and the main pipe a,or any other source of pressure. The steam, gas,

or water rushes through said passage 6 and 0 enters the chamber B, whichwill expand as much as its movable wall B will permit. As this wall isfirmly connected with the main valve A, this latter will be pulled toits seat against the spring a by the movement of the wall, and willremain closed as long as the passage 6 is kept openthat is, as long asthe electric circuit is not broken. As it may sometimes be desirable toclose the main valve by hand, this can be done by means of the mohand-wheel b and by ppening the cock just above the pipe E, which mayalso be used to let out the water of condensation when the main valve isapplied in steam-passages.

The application of my regulating-valve to a system of steam-heating isshown in Fig. 2. In this case the operation of the electric valve D isautomatic, being effected through a circuit-closing devicea thermostat,G, made of any suitable form and set so as to operate when the apartmentin which it is located has attained the desired temperature.

In order to prevent the waste of the battery J when the heatingapparatus is not in use, I provide on the electric circuit an expansiblechamber, H, connected with the steam-pipe a by the passage h. Themovable wall h of this chamber bears the electrical contact-piece 1'.Another contact-piece, i3, is fastened at such a distance from thecontact-piece i that when the heating apparatus is not in use, as insummer, the thermostat G, situated in the apartment which the steamgenerator serves to warm, Fig. 2, may operate, and still the electriccircuit will be broken, since the contact points 1 and z" of thecircuit-closing device, Fig. 3, situated on the steam-pipe a are not nowin contact. WVhen the heating apparatus is in use, steam expands thechamber H, and the contact pieces 2' and t" being thereby broughttogether, the thermostat G, Fig. 2, is adapted to do its automatic duty,as described above.

It will be noticed that in Fig. 1 the main valve A closes against thepressure of steam, gas, or water, as the case may be, and opens with thepressure. The object of this arrangement is to make the valve operativeunder a great range of pressure, for it is evident that if the valvewere made to open against the pressure, the spring a must have aresilient energy greater than the highest pressure under which the valveis to be used. Supposing this highest pressure to be twenty pounds tothe square inch, and the area of the valve A to be one inch, theresilient energy of the spring a must then be greater than twenty poundsin order to open the valve when it is once closed. As the practical areaof the expansible wall B cannot well exceed twenty square inches, itwill be seen that a pressure of onepound or less per square inch wouldnot properly actuate the valve A. On the other hand, as in my device,the valve A closing against and opening with the pressure, the pressureon the wall 13 is always proportional to the pressure on the valve A,and therefore serves to actuate said valve under very low pressure.

' Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination of a valve serving to control a steam orotherpassage, an expansilole chamber whose movable wall operates said valvewhen steam, gas, or water is admitted to said expansibl'e' chamber, andan electric valve adapted to admit steam, gas, or water, under pressure,into the expansible chamber, whereby the main valve is operated wheneverthe electric circuit is closed or opened, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination of a steam-generator, an electric valve used tocontrol apassage in said generator, a suitable electric generator, andtwo circuit-closing devices in circuit with said electric generator andelectric valve, one of said circuit-closing devices being a thermostatsituated in the apartment which the steam-generator warms, and the othercircuit-closin g device consisting of an expansible chamber adapted whenexpanded to complete the circuit, and when contracted to keep thecircuit broken, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination of an expansible chamber and a main valve connectedthereto, the former having an inlet and outlet port controlled by anelectric valve, with the armature of an electro-magnet, and the bar orlever of an electric valve, whereby when the electro-magnet operates thebar or lever of said valve the inlet-port is adapted to be opened at thesame time that the outlet-port is closed, substantially as set forth.

4. The combination of a valve serving to control a steam or otherpassage, and adapted to close against and open with the pressure, anexpansible chamber whose movable wall operates said valve when steam,gas, or water is admitted to said expansible chamber, and

an electric valve adapted to admit steam, gas,

or water under pressure into the expansible chamber, whereby the mainvalve is operated whenever the electric circuit is closed or opened,substantially as set forth.

5. The combination of a valve serving to control a steam or otherpassage, an expansi-' ble chamber whose movable wall operates said valvewhen steam, gas, or water is admitted to said chamber, and an electricvalve consisting of an electro-magnet, its armature, and valves operatedby the movement of said armature, whereby a movement of the armature inone direction admits the steam, gas, or water to said expansible chamberand prevents its exit therefrom, and operates the main valve in onedirection, while amovement of said armature in the opposite directionprevents the admission of steam, gas, or water to said expansiblechamber, but permits its escape therefrom, whereby the main valve isoperated in the opposite direction, substantially as set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand, atMilwaukee, in I

